Soak bread in half a cup of milk. Crumble with a fork. Add to the mince. Mix well.

Place pot on stove. Add a little oil if the onion has absorbed it all. Put meat and all other ingredients except the rest of the milk, the lemon leaves and the eggs.

Mix like mad to avoid lumps. Cook until soft and cooked through, to the stage when meat is getting brown and not pink.

Be smart and use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat mixture to a baking dish about 5cm high as you will have to add on. Make sure you taste at this stage to correct seasonings. You can add more of any ingredients at this stage. Don`t taste too often as there will be little left for others!!!!

You will probably have some residual gravy in the pot. Reduce it by gently cooking without lid on and add to the baking dish. This makes the dish a little richer in flavour.

Now beat the two eggs. Add 1 cup of milk plus what is left of the milk in which the bread had been soaked. Total should not exceed one and a half cups. Mix well. Add salt and pepper.

Check that there is not too much water in the baking dish containing the milk. The meat should not be dry but there should not be any gravy at the bottom.

Pour milk and egg mixture after beating till well mixed on to the bobotie mixture. Place lemon leaves or substitute bay leaves & a little lemon rind on top.

Bake uncovered in moderate oven (180 – 190 C) for 30 to 40 min. Till the egg mixture has become

set. Serve with a plain green salad or chopped tomato and onion, sprinkled with a little vinegar. Make sure you have some chutney near at hand. Serve piping hot with the yellow rice.

Yellow rice:

Heat oil a little. Add the rice and stir till coated. Add water, salt and rice. Add the powdered turmeric (a little at a time till the shade of yellow you like has been achieved) and raisins.

Cook gently for 10-15 min, covered and simmering on low heat. When most of the water is absorbed. Switch off stove & let the rice swell.